One of the biggest fashion trends among college kids this season has been wearing tights with shorts. The average price for a good pair of jeans can run from $80-$150, and let’s be real, in this post-recession recession, $80 can buy a week of groceries and a winter coat from Goodwill.

On the other hand, a quality pair of shorts usually costs around $30, and if you perpetually shop at Forever 21 (guilty!) you can find a pair for $15 that can last you at least six months (if you hand wash them and let them dry delicately in the wind).

You can also save money by looking through the selection of shorts and tights found online. Reputable online retailers, such as The Store, are able to offer lower prices than many traditional stores because they have less overhead. These retailers also make it easy to shop on your own time, since they are always open. You will not have to drive to the mall, find parking, wait in lineups, purchase lunch, and then make your way home, since the exact look that you want can be found right at your fingertips.

The point is, any new style that allows me — someone who superglues and staples her only pair of black flats to keep them form completely falling apart — to not spend any more money on clothes is a style worth keeping. However, shorts and tights isn’t the easiest look to pull off. It takes a creative, strategic mind, basically the fashion equivalent to Ulysses S. Grant to work something so multi-layered and complex. But I’m here to pass on some styling ideas that can help anyone work it!